Fade Away
by flyersfan3588
Summary: Booth and Bones are trapped in a collapsed building. It's quite angsty, especially for me, the fluff queen.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, apparently musie finally decided to come back from Bones vacation, so, at long last, I'm finally writing this Bones fic that I've had in my head for awhile now. Thanks to kasper for her input…if you call 'keep, keep writing' input…lol. And thanks to luli for the title...you rock, girl!  
**

**Just a short intro chapter...I would say enjoy, but…**

Booth opened his eyes to darkness and a dull pain throbbing through his body. Groaning, he sat up, struggling to put together what exactly had happened. The last thing he remembered, he had been in his office, talking to Bones…

"Bones?" Panicked, he turned his head quickly, blinking the dust out of his eyes, trying to see through the darkness. Shoving splintered wood off him, he staggered to his feet, wincing in pain. "Bones!" Hearing nothing, he looked around wildly.

The space he was in was no more than eight feet wide, and he had to bend over to miss hitting his head in the cramped space. The floor was littered with splintered wood and debris from the building. Straining through the gloom, he finally spied a lock of auburn hair, buried under a pile of rubble. Reaching her, he fell to his knees, frantically pulling the pieces of debris off her.

She was lying on her side, looking pale in the dim light. Her lack of response made his heart skip a beat; reaching out, he pressed his fingers to her throat, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the faint but steady pulse there. "Temperance?" He gently brushed dust from her face, looking down at her tenderly.

Now that he knew she was alive, just unconscious, his thoughts turned back to what he could remember. They had been in his office, going over their latest case. They had just finished talking to the victim's brother…the next thing he knew, they were buried beneath the building, obvious victims of a terrorist bombing of the federal building. It was the only thing that made sense.

He blocked thoughts of his friends and colleagues that had been in the building this afternoon out of his mind; he would worry about that later. Right now, he had to focus on getting himself and his partner out of here.

xxx

Pain. All she felt was pain, shooting through her body. She couldn't open her eyes, couldn't move. She thought she could hear a voice from far away, but she tuned it out and tried to focus on where she was. She had been going to see Booth, but after that, there was nothing. No memories of anything else. Had she even gotten there? She couldn't remember…

The sound came again, louder this time, and with a huge effort managed to turn her head toward the voice. She moaned at the pain that shot through her.

"Temperance?"

"Booth?" She slowly opened her eyes and saw Booth, sitting beside her; even in the shadowy darkness she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Bones, thank God!" He took her hand. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"Where…" She started to ask, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing that sent even more waves of pain shooting through her.

Booth looked on helplessly till the coughing subsided. "Just take it easy, Temperance, okay?"

"What happened?" She was dismayed to hear how faint her voice was.

Booth shrugged. "I don't know. My best guess is that there was a bomb in the building, but I'm really not sure." He looked down at her. "Are you okay?"

"I…" She coughed once more, wiping her mouth with her hand, then took a shaky breath. Looking down at the drops of blood on her palm, she shivered, then looked up at her partner. "I don't think so."


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here you go, chapter 2. And I must say thanks to all who read and reviewed, you all rock! **

Assistant Director Cullen paced the street, barking orders at harried agents. He had been home, ready to take his wife out for their anniversary when the call came; there had been an explosion at the Hoover building. As close to panic as he had ever been, he had raced over to the scene. The destruction he saw there was enough to cause his heart to jump to his throat.

His immediate thought had been for the agents that had been inside when the bomb had gone off. Whoever had planned this hadn't done their homework; it had been a Friday afternoon before the holiday weekend, so the building had been mostly empty. At least it was something to be thankful for.

His mind kept reciting names, even as he was yelling at the firefighters and bomb squad techs; Richards, Phillips, Booth…his best agents had been in that building… No, he wasn't going to think about that now. That could come later. Right now, he had to concentrate on doing whatever he could to get his men rescued. There would be time to think about what he had lost later…

Waving down the fire chief, he started bombarding him with questions. "When the hell are you going in there?! I have men in that building!"

"Sir, please…"

"Is anyone even alive in there? Damn it, I need to know!"

"Sir, we're doing everything we can."

'_We're doing everything we can'…_ The words echoed in Cullen's mind. The last time he had heard them had been in the hospital, right before Amy had died…

The sound of his name being shouted brought him back to the present. Turning, he looked to see the squints, standing just behind the barrier, being blocked by three agents. Cullen groaned. He should've known that they would show up; they were extremely close to Booth. He was surprised, however, to see that Dr. Brennan was not among them. Bracing himself, he started towards them.

"Look, I don't know…" he began.

"Where is Brennan? And Booth…please tell me they're all right!" Angela's voice was strained, and she was almost in tears. "They have to be all right…" She broke off, and Hodgins put an arm around her reassuringly.

"Wait…Dr. Brennan was with Booth?"

"Dr. Brennan went to meet Booth in his office." Cam's face was pale, her eyes haunted. "We've been trying to call them, but…" Her voice trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. It didn't matter; they all knew what she couldn't quite bring herself to say.

Cullen rubbed a hand over his eyes. Dr. Brennan was in the building somewhere with Booth. Dead or alive, he didn't know. As he looked into the faces of the squints, it was just starting to sink in…this could be much worse than he had first imagined.

xxx

Booth sat, his back against a part of what used to be his mahogany desk, his mind in chaos. Brennan lay beside him. He had placed his jacket under her head, and used some broken boards to elevate her legs, following her instructions for what to do to treat internal injuries and shock. She had been her usual self; reciting the conditions and treatment calmly and rationally. And he was scared to death.

She had told him what to look for, what to expect; sweating, dizziness, nausea, then, as it progressed, restlessness, aggression and struggling to breathe… Yes, she had told him everything…everything except the most important part; how to fix it.

That was the worst part…he felt so helpless. He had to get her out, get her to the hospital, but he couldn't. He had tried moving some of the debris, trying to clear a path, but all he succeeded in doing was cause even more to fall. Everything was just too unstable…

But he couldn't just sit here…that wasn't his style. Picking up his phone, he tried dialing again. Miraculously, whether it was because it had been in his back pocket, and he had landed on his side, or by some divine intervention, his cell phone was intact. Unfortunately, buried as they were, he couldn't get any signal…though a few times he managed to get one bar, but only for a second or two. But all he could do was keep trying…

"Booth?"

His heart leapt at the sound of her voice, still strong and steady. He silently prayed that she would stay strong till help could reach them. "Yeah, Bones?"

She looked up at him, and he could see the concern in her face. No matter what her words, she was scared. And that frightened him most of all…his Bones was always strong, always fighting. But what he saw in her eyes was resignation. "Stay with me, Temperance…"

"Talk to me."

Her words touched him; it was like she wanted to cling to something, like his words were her only hope of doing that. "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything," she whispered.

**I know, that ending was kinda dumb, but it will get better, I promise.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, first of all, I am so sorry it's been so long since I posted. My only excuse is that I was very uninspired…but hopefully that's all behind me. And I'm sorry that it's another short chapter, but I guess it's better than nothing…lol. **

**Anyway, thanks so much to those of you that read and reviewed, and I hope you're still reading. Don't give up, I've never left any story unfinished. (Well, except for my Angel sequel, but we won't count that…) And I already have the next chapter started, so… And the next chapter will be longer, I promise.  
**

The sun was just beginning to set; the sky was on fire with color. It was a picture perfect spring day, a stark contrast to the scene that met passersby outside the site of the FBI building on Pennsylvania Avenue

A barrier had been set up around what remained of the federal building, and search and rescue teams had been dispatched to look for survivors. Angela, Hodgins, Cam and Sweets all stood across the street, waiting anxiously for any news of Booth and Brennan. Sweets had suggested they all go to the diner just down the street to wait, but Angela was adamant about staying close by for any news.

Cullen, meanwhile, was busy irritating the workers, and being mostly ignored. "Damn it, I need to know what's going on! Have they found any survivors yet?"

"Look, sir, we're doing all we can, but you have to stay out of the way and let us do our jobs. I'm sure you understand." The harried fire chief turned away.

Cullen grabbed his arm, preventing his escape. "I understand that, but can you just please tell me what you've found so far?"

With a sigh, Chief Roberts turned back to the agent. "We have men sifting through the rubble, along with search and rescue dogs. We know there are people alive in there, but it takes time." Noting the worry in the older man's face, he softened. "I promise to let you know when there's any news."

Cullen just nodded, then turned and walked over to where the group of squints were gathered.

xxx

While outside there was noise and chaos, inside the scene was quite different. Brennan lay on the ground; Booth sat beside her, holding her hand. Outside he could hear distant shouts, and he could see pinpoints of light here and there between the debris, so he knew they were searching.

He had given up trying to dig his way out; every movement caused more and more loose stones to fall and he knew he was doing more harm than good. They would find them, for now he just had to wait, though that was easier said than done. Booth was a man of action; sitting around waiting for someone else to rescue him went against everything he was. But he knew it was for the best.

He had spent the last hour keeping both of them occupied, telling her about his family. He had carefully avoided much mention of his parents, instead recounting stories of his adventures with his brother Jared. The time they had been playing ball in the old lot at the end of their street and had broken the window of the house next door. Stealing a pack of their father's cigarettes and smoking them behind the house, nearly getting sick and coughing themselves to death in the process. The time they had snuck into the movie theatre to see an R rated movie their mother had forbidden them to see…

A fit of coughing interrupted him, and he looked down, alarmed. "Bones? Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine…" she reassured him when the coughing subsided and she was able to speak. "Just…go on with your story."

He knew she wasn't fine; she was a long way from fine. But, apart from praying, which he had been doing since he had woken up and found himself in this nightmare, there wasn't anything he could do except wait.

"Well, we only got to see about ten minutes of the movie before they caught us…luckily they only chased us out, they didn't call our parents." Brennan smiled weakly, but he knew she wasn't really listening.

"You still with me, Bones?"

"Where else…would I be?"

He smiled; that was his Bones. "Nowhere."

She lay there for a few more moments, her hand in his, before breaking the silence. "It's nice that you had that time with your brother."

Booth heard the wistfulness in her voice, and his heart ached. He knew she was thinking about Russ. "It wasn't all fun and games, Bones." He tried to sound lighthearted, but failed miserably. "A lot of the time, we didn't even get along."

"I wish I wouldn't have lost all that time with Russ…"

"Don't." He shook his head, his voice firm. He was not going to allow her to do this. "You'll have time to make it up, I promise."

"Booth. We might not…"

"Temperance, I swear to you, we are going to get out of here." Squeezing her hand, he pulled out his cell phone in an attempt to change the subject. "Well, let's give this another try."

Brennan smiled, but inside she was afraid. She knew time was running out; she could feel her body getting weaker by the minute. She appreciated his attempts to keep her spirits up, but she didn't want to give him false hope. But arguing with him was too tiring, so she stayed silent, though she knew he would have to face the harsh reality soon. If they didn't find them soon, she wasn't going to make it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, for better or worse, here is the next chapter. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it…and I know it's really short, but it's where my muse insisted I stop.**

**Thanks to fluff for the help with the quote, and thanks to all who are reading and reviewing. And I know I promised this on Saturday, but technically, it's still Saturday in California…**

The squints sat in the diner just down the street from the federal building, not saying much. Hodgins had insisted that they order food, but none of them had eaten much. The hours dragged on, and still no word about Booth or Brennan.

"I can't just sit around here and do nothing." Angela's voice broke the silence. She stood and looked down at the others. "We have to do something."

"Angela, there's nothing we can do."

"But…it can't be. Brennan has to be okay, she just has to be…" The tears that she had held at bay all afternoon finally started to fall.

Hodgins stood and pulled her into his arms. "Shh, it's gonna be okay…"

Sweets, for once, had had nothing to offer, and had been abnormally quiet throughout the day. Cam had been hoping for some reassuring words from him, but so far, they hadn't been forthcoming. She watched for a moment as Hodgins comforted Angela, then once again pulled out her cell phone. Opening it, she pressed the speed dial, praying that this time, he'd answer…

xxx

Another hour had passed with Booth talking about anything and everything, trying to keep Brennan's mind off their situation. So far, he had been through his childhood, his war years, Parker... He was careful to only mention the good moments; they had enough of their own despair right here, he didn't need to add to it.

It had gradually gotten darker until he couldn't even see her lying on the ground beside him. He could still occasionally hear shouts and noises, and he knew they were looking for survivors, which gave him hope, though he knew if they didn't find them soon, Brennan may not make it… No. He shook away the thoughts. He wasn't going to lose her.

"Booth?"

Her weak voice pulled him out of his musings, and he turned to her. "Sorry Bones." He managed a smile, though she couldn't see it. "My mind wandered there for a bit."

"I'm so tired," she whispered.

Panic flared up in him at her words. "Come on, Temperance." He squeezed her hand. "Just stay with me a little while longer."

"I can't…"

"Damn it, Temperance, you can't give up on me! I won't let you." She didn't respond, and he went on. "You and Parker are the only things in this world that matter to me, and I'm not letting you go. You made it out alive when the gravedigger trapped you and Hodgins, and you're going to make it out of here."

"That was…different. I…"

"It's no different. You were trapped, and you fought your way out, and it's the same thing now." His voice turned pleading. "I need you, Temperance. We're a team, remember? You give the victims a face, a voice, and I arrest the bad guys. I can't do it without you."

"Yes you can."

"What, with all those ridiculous interns?" Booth scoffed. "No way. All of them together wouldn't equal you."

"Booth? I'm afraid…"

"You have to fight, Temperance. You have to live."

"Why?"

"Because, I can't live without you." The stark admission seemed to echo in the cramped space. He paused for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. He'd gone this far, he might as well go all the way. "Every morning I wake up, and I can't wait to see you, and you're the last person I want to talk to at night. You and me, we're more than partners; more than friends. I love you, Temperance, and you are **not** going to die on me. I won't let you."

Booth felt a slight pressure on his hand, but she didn't respond. "Temperance?" His heart seemed to stop in his chest when she still didn't answer. Alarmed, he raised his hand to her throat, even as he peered through the darkness to see her face. "Temperance?!" Near panic now, he was just about to reach for her when two things happened simultaneously. His cell phone rang, and he heard voices calling to him in the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay…so I'm really not quite sure about this chapter. However, I've been told that I'm my own worst critic, so perhaps I'm just being overly critical. You can be the judge…**

**Anyway…thanks so much for all the reviews…you are all so sweet! There will be just one more chapter after this one…I would have put it all together in a nice long chap, but I was having a bit of trouble with the ending, and I'd rather take more time on it then do it quickly and having it turn out badly. Enjoy!**

Angela watched intently, her eyes and ears attuned to any movement or sound from the ruined FBI building. She had run out of the diner a few minutes ago, swearing she had heard something in those few seconds on her cell phone before the tenuous connection had once again been broken. Booth's voice, tense and frantic…then nothing. The others had followed her, and now, once again, they stood in a group, waiting for any news.

She was just about to speak when she heard shouts; immediately she ran toward the building, ducking under the tape and charging past the guard that reached out to try and hold her back. She had almost reached the building, when Cullen grabbed her. "Angela…"

The sound of him speaking her name was enough to stop her. He had never used her first name before. "Is it them? Did they find Booth and Brennan?"

Cullen just shook his head. "I don't know. I think so…just stay back and let them do their job."

"Are they okay? Are they alive?" Her voice broke on the last word.

Cullen carefully led her back across the street to the rest of the group. He looked grimly at the others. "Stay here. I'll find out what's going on."

xxx

The night was filled with sounds; the noise of the rescue equipment, the shouts of the searchers as they looked through the rubble trying to find more survivors. Lights from the ambulances and fire trucks shone through the darkness, creating an eerie glow over the streets.

Booth sat in the back of the ambulance, his eyes anxiously searching, trying to catch a glimpse of Bones through the medical personnel who crowded around her. He barely remembered the events of the rescue; he had been too focused on her and frantic at her lack of response.

Angrily he waved off another attempt by the paramedic to check him over. "I'm fine! Just take care of my partner."

"Sir, someone else is helping your partner," the woman said exasperatedly. "Just let me help you."

"I'm fine," Booth repeated, trying to get up.

"You're not fine. You're bleeding."

That got his attention, and he finally looked down at himself. He noted for the first time various cuts and scrapes all over his body. He had been so focused on Bones that he hadn't even noticed his own injuries. Now, though, he was aware of a dull, throbbing pain in his chest, signaling a few cracked ribs at the very least. _Just great…_

"Look, it's nothing serious." He made another attempt to stand. "I just need to make sure Bones is okay."

"Sir…"

"Booth, calm down." Sweets had joined them, after being cleared by Cullen. "You're not going to help Dr. Brennan this way."

Booth knew Sweets was right, but he couldn't help it. He felt so helpless, and he hated it. His eyes were once again drawn to Bones as the paramedics put her on the stretcher and loaded her in the back of the other ambulance. "Okay, time to go." This time, he was almost able to jump out of the back of the ambulance before the paramedic finally had enough, and gripped his arm with surprising strength.

"Look, sir. You are injured. We are going to take care of you whether you like it or not. And if you'd stop being so damn stubborn, you'd realize that we can get you to the hospital in record time while we do it!"

Properly chastened, Booth finally relented, realizing that she was right. Reluctantly he let them tend to his injuries as the ambulance sped away down the street.

xxx

Booth paced the waiting room anxiously. The squints had joined him, and after quizzing him about the ordeal, had tried, without success, to get him to sit down and try to relax. Zack was the only one missing, of course. They had debated telling him when the bombing had first occurred, but in the end had decided to wait until there was better news. No sense worrying the kid when he couldn't do anything but sit in his room and fret.

They hadn't been able to contact Max and Russ, either; they were somewhere in the mountains of Virginia on a camping trip, and out of cell phone coverage. Amy had told them that they were expected back sometime within the next two days.

It was here that Cullen found them a few hours later. He had briefly checked on Booth at the scene, then had stayed at the site for news of any other survivors. He spotted Booth immediately, standing by the window, staring out into the night. He walked over to him, passing on the way the rest of the squints, in various stages of rest, on the sofas and chairs in the waiting room. "Shouldn't you be in a hospital bed yourself?"

Booth turned at his boss' voice. "I'm fine."

Cullen took in the bandages, the cuts and bruises on his agent's face. "Yeah…fine," he said skeptically.

Booth waved away his concern. "So, what happened?"

"They're still investigating, but they can't do a thorough check until search and rescue is done."

"How many?"

"Booth, seriously. You should be resting…"

"How many, Cullen?"

Cullen sighed. "Eight injured, you included. Six confirmed dead. And there's still twenty-three missing."

"Damn it…"

"It could have been a lot worse. Luckily most of the agents were already gone for the day."

Booth raked a hand through his hair. "This is just…" He shook his head. "I just can't believe it."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." He sighed. "Look, I gotta get back. I just wanted to check up on you."

"Yeah," Booth responded, distracted.

Cullen hesitated before asking the questions. "How's Dr. Brennan?"

"In surgery." Booth's voice was clipped.

Cullen knew not to press the issue. "Okay. Well…I'll check in later."

Booth just nodded curtly as he watched Cullen walk out, then turned back to the window, his mind already focused once again on his partner.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here you go. Hopefully it wasn't too rushed…quite honestly, I was having a lot of problems with motivation for this story, so I wanted to finish it so that I didn't have to feel guilty about my infrequent updates. But I think it turned out okay…at least, I hope it did. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and reviewing! **

Brennan opened her eyes slowly, cringing against the bright light shining through the windows. She turned her head slightly, taking in the room; white walls, white ceiling…she was in a hospital room. Struggling, she tried to remember something, anything about what had happened. She thought she remembered Booth talking to her, telling her not to give up…

A noise to her left caused her to turn her head to see Booth, in the chair beside her bed, asleep. At the same time, she became aware of the pain; a dull ache throughout her whole body. This time when she tried to move, a small whimper escaped her, which was enough to wake the sleeping man beside her.

Booth woke with a start. He had been lightly dozing, his ears attuned to any sound from her. Sitting up quickly, he looked over. "Temperance?" Relief flooded through him when he saw she was awake.

"Booth?" Brennan, alarmed at how weak her voice sounded, struggled to recall what had happened as Booth moved beside her and took her hand.

"Thank God!" He squeezed her hand. "I was so worried about you."

"What…happened?"

Booth had to lean close just to hear her; her voice was so faint. "You don't remember?"

Looking at his face, at the cuts and bruises, she frowned. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine. We were trapped, but we're safe now, and you're going to be fine."

"I…" Suddenly, everything came flooding back; the bomb, being trapped in the rubble, Booth's words… Her eyes widened as she remembered. "The bomb," she whispered. She looked up into his face and saw the worry and fatigue written there. "What about…the others?"

Booth shook his head. "They're still looking for survivors. Don't worry about it now, you need to rest."

"Booth…" He wasn't telling her everything, she knew it. But she was too tired to argue. She fought to stay awake, but sleep reached up to claim her and wouldn't let go. Her eyes started to close again. "I'm so tired," she whispered.

"Go to sleep, Temperance." She felt his hand in hers, and his soothing voice followed her back down into sleep. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

xxx

Booth paused in the doorway of the hospital room, a bouquet of daffodils in his hand. Brennan was sitting up in bed, her face full of color, looking much better than she had only three days earlier. Angela sat in the chair beside the bed, talking animatedly to her. His heart felt lighter than it had in a week; when he thought of what could have happened… Shaking off the morose thoughts, he walked into the room.

Brennan looked up at his approach. "Booth!"

Angela noticed how Brennan's eyes lit up as Booth walked into the room, and her own eyes narrowed suspiciously. She watched them closely for the next few minutes as they bantered back and forth, her thoughts whirling. Something had changed between the two; it was subtle, but it was there. Angela was good at reading people, especially those two, and she knew she was right. Smiling, she decided that she was going to have a talk with Bren as soon as Booth left.

"So, Bones. The doctor says you can go home tomorrow? Isn't that a bit soon?" Booth knew she was probably going crazy stuck here in the hospital, but he was still worried about her, despite her seemingly rapid recovery.

"No, it's not too soon, Booth. As a matter of fact, I was looking at my chart, and I really think I could go home today. The doctor is just being unnecessarily cautious."

Booth only half listened as she rattled on about her symptoms and diagnosis. His mind was wandering. He had been here, beside her, for the past week, just as he had promised her. Angela and the doctors and nurses had tried to convince him to go home and get some rest, but he had been adamant about not leaving her. He had told her he'd be there, and he wasn't about to break that promise.

She hadn't brought up anything about their ordeal, except to ask about the others that had fallen victim to the bombing. He didn't know how much she remembered from the experience; if she had heard his pleading words to her just before they were rescued, and he had been almost afraid to ask. But sometimes, when she looked at him, he thought that maybe she did.

The vibration of his cell phone in his pants pocket pulled him from his thoughts. Pulling it out, he saw a message from Cullen. Standing, he smiled apologetically. "Sorry Bones, I gotta go." With a wave to Angela, he was gone.

Brennan just shook her head, then turned to Angela. "That was a quick visit," she commented.

Angela pulled her chair closer to the bed. "So, sweetie...what happened between you and tall, dark and handsome when you were trapped in that building?"

Brennan looked at Angela, surprised. Averting her eyes from her friend's knowing gaze, she answered. "I…I don't know what you mean, Ang."

"Oh, come on Bren. Something happened down there. I could tell when you saw each other…something's changed. So tell me."

Brennan sighed. She should have known Angela would notice something. "I don't really remember that much. But I think…" Her voice trailed off, and Angela looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"I think…Booth told me that he loves me." She shook her head at Angela's look of surprise. "But I'm sure I'm mistaken."

"Oh sweetie." Angela sighed. "I'm sure you heard just fine."

"Logically, I suppose intense circumstances cause people to say things they don't mean, so…"

"Oh, come on Brennan!" At Brennan's startled look, she lowered her voice. "Booth wouldn't say something like that unless he meant it. You know that."

"I…"

Angela didn't let her finish. "Of course he loves you, he's always loved you, he just hasn't ever been able to say it."

Brennan was silent for a moment. Was that true? She knew they shared a closeness, but was it love? "When Hodgins and I were buried alive, he wrote a letter to you, in case…in case we didn't make it out alive."

Angela nodded. "I know. He showed it to me later."

"He asked me if I had anyone that I wanted to say goodbye to."

"And?"

"I…wrote a letter to Booth."

"What did it say?"

Brennan shook her head. "The actual words don't matter. But I just didn't want to die without him knowing how much he meant to me."

Angela sighed. "Look, sweetie. You two have been dancing around your feelings for each other for a long time. Maybe it's time to start facing it."

"I don't want anything to change, Ange. And it will. I know it will."

"Yeah, it'll change. You can't escape that. But I promise, it'll be better."

Brennan was silent for a few moments, thinking. "What if it doesn't work? What if we end up hating each other? I don't want to lose him, Angela. I can't."

"You won't."

"You don't know that! I mean, look at you and Hodgins…"

"Jack and I are still friends. Sure, it was awkward at first, but we worked it out. And so would you and Booth. But you don't have to worry about that."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's you and Booth."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes it is. And it's the only answer I can give you. Trust me, Bren. About this, I'm not wrong." She stood up and smiled at her friend. "I have to go, but I'll be back in the morning to pick you up."

Brennan gave her a faint smile. "Thanks Ang."

xxx

"Bones?" Booth entered the apartment, his eyes immediately searching for his partner. Not seeing her, he pocketed the key he had given her and made his way towards the kitchen. He knew she was here; Angela had picked her up from the hospital this morning, and he had told her he'd be by later. "Hey, Bones!"

Brennan sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looking at the clock, she was startled to see it was almost 6 pm. She had only meant to rest for a few minutes after Angela had left; she must have been more tired than she thought.

"Bones?" Booth knocked softly on her bedroom door.

"I'll be right there, Booth." A few minutes later, she joined him in the kitchen, where he was busy setting out boxes of takeout Chinese food. The aroma made her mouth water. "Thanks. I'm starving."

Booth looked at her closely, noting the tousled hair and puffy eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Sitting down at the table, she grabbed a carton of food. "It's fine. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Don't be silly. You need to rest." He joined her at the table. "Maybe you should've stayed in the hospital a few more days.

"Booth, I could not have endured one more day in there. I'm fine. And I'm anxious to get back to the lab." She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating.

He gave her a warning look. "Don't even think about it."

"I am perfectly fine. And I have so many things to do there. I'm so behind."

"The bones can wait. You're the most important thing right now, and you need to rest and get better." She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. "Besides, Cam was adamant that you are not allowed back until at least Monday."

"But that's four days away!"

"You'll survive." He threw her a smile. "Besides, I'll be here to keep you company."

"Oh, that's comforting." She tried to sound irritated, but she knew he was right. She didn't have her strength back, and she knew there was no way she was ready to go back to work just yet. She wasn't about to admit it to him, however.

They finished eating in relative silence; when they were done, Booth insisted that she relax on the sofa while he cleaned up, then joined her there a few minutes later. "Look, tomorrow's the memorial for…for the agents that perished in the bombing. I have to be there, but once that's over, I'll stop by and keep you occupied."

Brennan heard the hesitation in his voice. She knew he had lost many friends. "I'm sorry Booth."

He shrugged. "Yeah. Thanks."

She took a deep breath; she knew he wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "I want to go with you."

"No." He shook his head. "You need to rest, and I…"

"Damn it, Booth! Stop treating me like a child!"

"Bones…"

"I knew some of those people, Booth. And I want to be there." She lowered her voice. "I'm not going to break. But refusing to acknowledge what happened isn't going to help. I need to be there."

Booth sighed. He knew she was right, but that still didn't mean he had to like it. "Okay. But you have to promise to do exactly what I say."

She laughed incredulously. "You know that's not going to happen."

"Bones, I mean it. I know it's got to be hard for you, being dependent on me, but the truth is, you're still hurt. If you push yourself too much, you're just going to set yourself back, and I'm not going to help you with that."

The fact that she didn't even try to argue made him realize just how right he was. "I'll take you to the service. But we're not staying long, and if I see that you're getting too tired, we're leaving. Agreed?" Reluctantly, she nodded. "Good." He stood up. "I have to make a quick phone call. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm fine."

He smiled at her petulant tone, then walked out to the kitchen, pulling out his cell phone.

Brennan watched him go, her talk with Angela yesterday running over and over through her mind. She knew she needed to talk to him, but she didn't know how to bring it up. She wasn't sure if her normal, direct approach was the right one in this situation. Sighing, she leaned her head back on the sofa.

When Booth re-entered the living room a few minutes later, he found her asleep. Smiling to himself, he pulled the blanket on the back of the sofa over her and gently sat down beside her. The slight movement roused her, and she sleepily looked over at him before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder.

He was surprised for a moment, then put his arm around her and pulled her to him.

Sighing, she leaned into him, enjoying the feel of being in his arms. "Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"When we were trapped, and you were talking to me…"

"Yeah?" Booth questioned, his mouth suddenly dry. He wasn't sure if he was quite ready for this talk.

She sat up and looked at him. "I thought…I mean, did you…" _Come on, Brennan,_ she chided herself. "I thought you told me that…that you loved me."

"Temperance…"

"I mean, it's okay. I understand." She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't help it. "I know that being in those circumstances, people say things that they really don't mean; it's just the mind trying to…"

"Shh." He placed a finger on her lips to silence her. He looked into her eyes, seeing doubt, confusion…and fear. He smiled sadly. "I meant everything I said to you, Temperance. Maybe I hadn't planned on saying it at that moment, in that way. But that doesn't mean it wasn't true."

Brennan just stared at him for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say. "It's probably not a good idea to get involved. I mean, there are a lot of factors that…"

"Don't." He held up a hand. "You can give me all the reasons in the world why we shouldn't be together, why it might not work out. I've gone through it all myself. What I really want to know is how you _feel_. Don't answer with your head for once, Temperance. What does your heart say?"

"I'm not good at that, Booth."

"Just try."

She swallowed hard. "I…I'm attracted to you."

"That's it?"

"No, I…" She closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm her racing pulse. "I'm comfortable with you. But I'm confused, too. I trust you, and that's not easy for me. You're my best friend, the person I most want to spend time with. The only person that I can ever imagine spending the rest of my life with. And that scares me, because knowing all that makes me realize that I rely on you. And I swore to myself a long time ago that I wasn't going to let that happen. I was never going to rely on anyone else again."

He smiled, reaching out and running his fingers lightly down her cheek. "Life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you."

"So, what do we do?"

"We take the chance, Bones. It's all we can do."

"But Booth, we can't be sure…"

"Bones, if there's anything at all that I learned when we trapped in that building, helpless, with you clinging to life, it's that nothing is certain in this life. But that doesn't mean we need to be afraid of it. It's the uncertainties that make life interesting."

"But…"

"I don't want to go through the rest of my life being afraid to risk anything. No more regrets." He moved closer, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I'm not great at taking chances, Booth. At least not with my heart."

"I'll help you." He smiled at her, and she felt the last walls around her heart crumble. "So what do you say?"

Looking into his eyes, Brennan knew he was right. She could either stop it here and continue the life she had lived up until know, or she could take the chance and see where it took them. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision. "I say yes."

Smiling, Booth reached up and cupped her face with his hand. The touch of his fingers on her skin made her shiver; she moved closer, slowly closing the distance between them, until their lips met in a sweet, soft kiss.

**Well, there you go. Sorry, no smut…I'm just not up to it right now. Besides, it's not my strong suit. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.**


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